Self-leveling table.



R. G. MAOKINNON.

SELF LEVELING TABLE,

APPLICATION FILED 8EPT.10,1908.

Pa-tnted June 29, 1909.

. m K M fi W WA/h 1 W WITNESSES mm 2. an s it A in ROBERT G. MACKINNON, OF NFM' YORK, N Y.

SELF-LE VE LING TAB LE Application filed September 10, 1908.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all 1071 out 'it "may con ccrn:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT G. MACHIN- NON. a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Seli -Leveling Tahlcs, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to a talt-le. a cot or other supporting device which is adapted to remain level despite movements or variations in the position of the bottom or floor supporting the device.

This invention is set forth in the following specification and claims andillustrated in the annexed drawing in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a. tahlc emhodving this invention. Fig. 2 an end elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 a section along at :1; Fig. l. 4 shows a modification.

This tal le can he used on ships or elsewhere. The table is provided with a top which remains in horizontal position when tho ship pitches, and rolls.

In this drawing tho letter a designates the legs of the table which are fastened to the deck or floor of ship. These legs are provided with a series of slots 7) and each slot is engaged or coacts with a roller c. These rollers are pivoted to standards d at each end of the table. The standards have a series of slots 6 which coaet with rollcrsf pivoted to the hangers fastened to the hettom of a table top 72.. The legs (L being fastened to the lloor of the ship will rock when the ship pitches and the rollers will glide along the slots and assume .a horizontal line thereby keeping the top level. The standards 5 which are placed at right angles to legs a will take up the roll or side tilt of the ship and thus prevent the top from tilting or inclining with the iloor or deck.

Applied to the hangers or standards (1 and g are. hracc pieces or bars i running respectively crosswise and lengthwise to the table proper or the top plate It. At these lr-ars t at pivots m are suspended arms having weights 7:. These arms with weights Itat their lower ends carry each a double pawl of oppositely facing pawl teeth a.

The slotted portions or pieces I) and e have their edges provided with teeth 0 arranged. in a curve but none of such curves is concentric with the pivots '01. When the Hour supporting the l'cet (1 rocks the tahle parts roll or swing to maintain their various levels or perpendiculars.

When an edge or part ol the liahle top 71 is m'erwcighted as l: v a party leaning onto an edge or by an ol jcct placed on the top [I the har 'i is tilted and the weight 7r swings to move a pawl tooth n to engage a tooth in rack 0 and arrest l'urther movement in the direction in which a pressure onto the top 7/ tends to swing the latter.

in place ol rollcrsflmlls Fig. l will serve as equivalents.

The operation. is as lollows: .ll a pressure is exerted on a short cdgc of a tal-le 7a. the teeth 0 at guide piece I) are engaged ay their pawl n. if the pressure is exerted on a. long edge of the tahlc the teeth 0 at guide piece 0 are engaged l'- v the upper pawls n. The operation in each case is the same as a tilt of tahle top 72 indepcndentol legs (1- will cause the respective weight X: which lends to remain hanging vertical to press a pawl tooth a into a rack tooth 0.

T he curved guide b can he distinguished as a lixedlv arranged guide as its legs (L cannot move unless the lloor or deck supporting the same also moves or rolls while the guide c can move without the guide 1) moving.

What I claim is l. A sell leveling tahle comprising legs fixed to a movable hottom and provided with guides. legs having anti-friction devices made to co-aet with the guides and provided with a second set ol guides arranged transversely to the lirst named guides and a tahle top with hangers having anti-l'riction devices made to co-act with the second set ol guides.

A table or support (.()1lll-l110(l with guides transversely arranged with respect to one another, rollers traveling along the guides. teeth along the guides, and pawls hung l'rom the table so as to he moved to engagement by pressure thereon and lock the tahle against movement by such pressure.

3. A table or support wmliincd with curved guides arranged transversely to one another, table supporting rollers made to travel along the guides, teeth at the guides, pawls hung from the tahle cccentrically to the curvilinear arrangement ol the teeth, and a weighted swinging arm for the pawl for causing the table top when exposed to pres- I oted pawl on the table top for engagin the sure to swing a pawl to its teeth to lock the second guide as the table top is pressed out table against tilting. I of level;

4;. A table or the like comprising fixedly In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 5 arranged curved guide, a second curved my hand in the presence of tWo subscribing guide movable on the first named guide, a Witnesses.

table top movable on the second guide, a ROBERT vGr. IVLACKINNON; Weighted pivoted pawl on the second guide l/Vitnesses:

for engaging the first guide as the table top I EDWARD WIEsNER,

10 is pressed out of level, and a Weighted piv- CHRISTIAN ALMsTAEDT, 

